


Forever Happy Dream

by Ace (Mister)



Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-08
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2018-11-29 12:33:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11440947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mister/pseuds/Ace
Summary: Russell decided to stay in the dream.  How does he react when the townspeople greet him the next morning?





	Forever Happy Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Based on True End 2.

The glaring rays of sunlight penetrated through the windows and illuminated the room. Some vines that grew out of crevices and cracks of the formerly austere white walls barely reached the edges of the window, leaving slight shadows around. Pieces of notebook paper laid scattered around the room along with a bloody knife and a bizarre, pulsating plant.

A young blond boy laid on a bed in the center of the room. He shielded his eyes from the light as he turned to face the window; the sky was a calm blue and the sun was high up, indicating he had slept until noon.

He sat up and turned his gaze to the empty syringe on the table beside the bed. With a relieved sigh, he traced his hand along the syringe. The boy shrugged off his thoughts and headed towards the door. As he placed his hand on the door knob, he glanced longingly at the scraps of paper that littered about the room—though his expression remained blank overall.

Once he exited the building, he let out a sigh as he closed the door behind him. On a brief inspection of the nearby area, he trembled with a slight discomfort. Blotches of black ink and blood splattered on signs and buildings, which disrupted the peaceful nature of the town. Strained eyeballs stared down at him from treetops, giving off an unnerving aura.

A young, masculine voice called out to him, "Hey Russell! You're finally awake."

Russell snapped out of his thoughts as he recognized the voice. He turned to the direction it came from, and to his surprise, it wasn't just Tabasa; all his friends from the town were there to greet him. The boy blinked in surprise at the unexpected assemblage.

"Russell, since you just woke up, you must be hungry, right?" Gardenia grinned. "I've made a lot of food for today—with some help of course!"

Tabasa chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm. "What Gardenia is trying to say is that we all put together a party for you today." He paused and glanced at the crowd as if he expected someone else to speak up.

Russell's gaze shifted over to his look alike, the Informant. The familiar boy remained silent but showed off his usual smirk. However, there was some gentleness to his eyes.

The blonde woman stepped forward from among the crowd. "Been a week since ya came to this here town, Russell. We figured we outta throw a party to show our appreciation for all yer hard work," Yumi explained.

Kantera chimed in, "I've provided some green tea along as well. Hopefully, it will be to your liking."

"The master is waiting for us back at the church. He'll be delighted to talk to you again, Russell." Mireille smiled gently as she spoke of the mayor.

Cody giggled. "My brother offered to have the part hosted at the church since there's lots of space for us all." She lightly patted Dogma on the shoulder. "Isn't that sweet of him?"

"I'll have you know you'll all be cleaning the church after this," Dogma spoke indignantly.

"Ah, yes. We're all going to the party except those suspicious fellows." Kantera's amused expression faded momentarily before he flashed another grin. "We wanted to invite them too, but it seems they disappeared."

Gardenia beamed with more excitement. "It'll be fun, Russell! Everyone's favorite dishes will be there. Let's—" She stopped mid-sentence with concern plastered on her face. "Is something wrong? Are you not hungry?"

Russell's eyes widened as he looked down at his feet. Spots of dirt became muddy from fresh drops of liquid. Streams of tears continued to roll down his cheeks and drip to the ground. He hadn't realized why he was crying; these mix of emotions were all too overwhelming for him.

"Y-you don't have to go if you're not feeling well," Mireille stammered.

"It's okay if you want to sleep in." Tabasa gazed at the boy with worry.

"Yeah, we could have the party on another day if you need more rest!" Cody's smile faded.

"Or do you not like parties at all?" Dogma asked with exasperation. "We understand if this is too imposing on you."

"It's nothing." Russell wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "I just remembered that I had a happy dream. That's all." Wishing to not worry the others, Russell smiled as brightly as he could.

The unease among the crowd continued. Everyone glanced at each other with the same look of concern. For moments, no one spoke up, but the apprehension soon faded. They relaxed their expressions, and as if in a silent agreement—gave the boy the benefit of doubt.

Yumi was the first to break the silence. "Well, whadya waitin' for? We're burnin' daylight here. Let's get goin' now."

"It would be a waste to let the food and tea get cold." Kantera displayed his usual placid smile.

"We're glad to have you with us!" Gardenia returned to her energetic self.

"I guess that's settled, then." Tabasa sighed with relief. "Okay, let's go."

As the others walked ahead of him, Russell peered at the Informant, who met his gaze once again. The boy's lookalike no longer had his regular sardonic grin; instead, the Informant had a warm, genuine smile. Russell couldn't help but smile in return.

 

_Everything is normal. Everyone is happy once again, so this is fine. It's alright. It will be okay._

_Let's happy dream until the end._

_Good morning, everyone..._

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first time writing for this fandom, so I hope I did the characters some justice with the characterization.


End file.
